Funded projects

• 

  Dr Sarah Perry

  University of Otago Christchurch

  Project grant - $289,373 - Funding Round: 2025 B

  Acoustic biomarkers of cough dysfunction: Validating a smartphone-based AI approach for assessing airway protection in Parkinson’s disease

  People with Parkinson’s disease often experience problems with swallowing and coughing, which can lead to pneumonia – a common cause of death. Treatments usually focus only on swallowing, even though cough strength can be used to predict swallowing dysfunction. This study will test a new smartphone-based method of assessing cough function in people with Parkinson’s and compare it against traditional cough measurement techniques. If patients are able to record their cough at home using a smartphone, this could enable more effective cough screening for people with Parkinson’s and other neurological conditions, leading to earlier diagnosis and treatment of swallowing disorders.